


Nothing He Wouldn't Pay

by hunters_retreat



Series: Further Interruptions [29]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Al doesn't know anything and just wants some pie, Ed isn't quite ready to admit that, M/M, Mustang is secretly a good guy, Post-Promised Day, mentions of Ed/Winry, pre-kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 02:13:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17112512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunters_retreat/pseuds/hunters_retreat
Summary: Hell.  The Bastard.  This was right up his alley.





	Nothing He Wouldn't Pay

**Author's Note:**

> Another snippet, pre-kids and pre-relationship :P

 

“Everything is in order then,” the doctor said as Ed looked at the last of the paperwork. 

It’d been six months since the Promised Day and Alphonse was finally able to leave the hospital.  They were going to head to Resembool next so that Alphonse could finish healing, but he was on his own two feet now, even if it was at a slow walk.

“Thank you, Doc.  Really.  You guys have been great with Al.”

“Thankfully, your brother is a better patient than you are.”

Ed rolled his eyes but it wasn’t really something he could debate.  No one would call him a gracious patient.  He tried.  Really.  He understood that the doctors and staff wanted him to get better, but they never understood what drove him.

“I didn’t see the receipt for payment,” Ed said as he looked at the Doc.  “Everything was taken care of already, right?”

The doctor nodded his head.  “The bill was paid in full.  I should let you know though that it was paid by an anonymous citizen.”

“What?”

“Someone paid the bill for you.”

“Who the hell would do that?”

“As I said, they wished to remain anonymous.  In fact, they asked me not to mention it at all, but since you’re inquiring you have a right to know.”

“But you won’t tell me who it is.”

“No, I won’t.  But I don’t imagine you know many people that could afford something like that.”

Ed nodded.  He couldn’t really think of anyone they’d met that would be able to put out a chunk of money like that.  Ed had his savings, but he and Al never really needed much so he had a large account ready for them when Alphonse got his body back. 

“I can’t take someone else’s money.”

“And I can’t accept payment twice.  I guess you’ll have to figure it out and pay them back yourself,” he said.  “And I have other patients to see.  If you need my assistance, you know where to find me.  I believe your brother will be perfectly fine though.  He has a sensible head on his shoulders and I’m sure _he’ll_ follow his doctor’s suggestions.”

The doctor left and Ed was alone in the hall while the nurses finished helping Al get cleaned up.  It was a lot of fuss, and Ed would have refused the help, but Alphonse didn’t seem to mind.

Ed thought he might have a crush on one of the nurses because Alphonse blushed whenever he asked about it.  Ed didn’t tease him about it though.  Especially when the thought of going home to see Winry still made his face heat up. 

He pushed that out of his thoughts, because he was going to have to deal with that all too soon.  He was all for avoiding it as long as possible.

So, who could have paid the bill?  Armstrong?  He certainly had the money for it, and he was kind-hearted enough.  He wasn’t the sort to do something like that anonymously though.  He wouldn’t want repayment of any kind, but it would just never dawn on him to do it without his name attached. 

Izumi and Sig would help out, so would Granny, but neither had the sort of money to throw it around like that.  He tried to think of all the people they’d met along the way.  Ling?  But he’d put a name to it and he’d demand Ed bow and scrape to him a bit for it.  Greed would have, before he died, and he might have even done it anonymously to keep everyone from knowing that he was actually a good-hearted bastard.

Hell.  The Bastard.  This was right up his alley.  It was still a lot of money, but he bet Mustang could manage it if he set his mind to it.  Probably find a way to make the military pay for it since Alphonse had been unofficially working for the military for the last four years.

Ed didn’t want to be indebted to Mustang.  He didn’t want to be indebted to anyone, but it felt like something more with him. 

“Ed, is something wrong?”

Ed looked up to see his brother standing in the doorway of his room.  Ed had gone shopping to pick up a few outfits for his brother to make the journey home and it was good to see him in something besides a hospital gown or pajamas.

“No, just waiting for you.  Are you ready?”

Alphonse smiled.  “I was thinking we could stop by Gracia’s before we go to the train station?”

Ed laughed at his brother.  “She has a quiche waiting.  And an apple pie.”

“Really?”

Ed nodded.

“Then what are we waiting for?”

Ed laughed and he pushed the thought of their mysterious benefactor for later.  He had a brother to feed and a train to catch.

In the back of his mind though, he couldn’t help but wonder who he owed, and when the price would come due.  It was for Alphonse though, and at the end of the day, there was nothing he wouldn’t pay for his brother. 

 

 

 


End file.
